Professor Tamara Afifi has been a member of the faculty in the Department of Communication since 2006. Her supporters praise her and assert that she excels in every aspect of teaching, which includes interpersonal communication, family communication, and conflict management. Her nominator states that “student after student insist that her courses are the best they’ve had at UCSB.”
One student states, “In all facets, I have seen Dr. Afifi change the way students learn about the Communication discipline, incite a surge of student interest in the research field, and most certainly influence the impressions students hold towards academia and the faculty we encounter each day. I believe that it is more than just her teaching style and ways of interactions with students that make her so unique. It is her sincere interest in helping students succeed as she offers herself as a resource…”
She also receives high praise not only for her classroom teaching but also for her use of research as an instructional tool. One of her students writes, “During the course I was introduced to her research as she smoothly inserted her own research into our lectures. This was especially interesting, because it seemed so real to hear that my professor actually produced the results that she explained as opposed to some other professor that I had never heard of before.” And one of her student research assistants notes that “…the students who work under her flourish because she respects and has faith in our abilities to be valuable contributors to her projects.”
One student states, “I had taken a multitude of classes in just about every subject, had a few ‘nice’ professors, a few ‘interesting’ professors, but was absolutely blown away in Family Communication fall quarter of my junior year with my professor Tamara Afifi… [I]t was so obvious within the first five minutes of the class that this was what she lived to do. She caught my attention and held it, she was so excited about teaching and enthusiastic about the topic it was contagious, I was mesmerized and couldn’t wait for the next lecture.”
Prof. Kip Fulbeck has been a member of the faculty in the Department of Art (with affiliated appointments in Asian American Studies and Film & Media Studies) since 1992. One of his supporters writes, “Taking a class with Professor Fulbeck entails far more than a simple learning experience… Fulbeck’s charismatic yet highly focused approach forces them to completely re-evaluate what it means to be an artist and an individual.”
According to one of his students, “Kip’s teaching style is as engaging as it is informative… I cannot express fully to you how much Kip deserves this award. Kip has made me think about every action I take, every word that I speak, and every impact I may have on anyone around me.” The student continues, “No one is able to be shy or unwilling to contribute to class, because he demands the same effort from everyone: his or her personal best.”
Professor Fulbeck regularly incorporates non-traditional modes and strategies into his classes, and has created several new courses that are now part of the core major. One such strategy is to immerse his class into foreign environments, thereby “removing their default footings and expand[ing] their idea of what art, teaching, and education is.” One of his graduate students writes, “Professor Fulbeck distinguishes himself in the UCSB community through his relentlessly vibrant and passionate engagement with students in the creative practices that explore globally minded and intellectually inquisitive art making across all media.” And she continues by stating, “The just, purposeful, and challenging learning environment he cultivates propels students to stretch themselves in impressive and unprecedented ways.”
Finally, an undergraduate student writes, “there is not a week that goes by that I do not think of how his classes have profoundly impacted me, not only as an Art major, but also as a person. Kip goes beyond the classroom to deliver an education, both academically and experientially, which makes him the idea professor for the Distinguished Teaching Award.”
Professor Chandra Krintz has been a member of the faculty in the Department of Computer Science since 2001. She also holds affiliated appointments in Electrical & Computer Engineering as well as the Media Arts & Technology Program.
One of her colleagues writes, “Scientists like Dr. Krintz who can combine highest levels of excellence both in teaching and research are rare, and we are very lucky to have her as a member of the Department.”
According to one of her undergraduate students, “the passion that Chandra has for the subject and for teaching it to others shows through and ignites interest in every student and a desire to want to know all of the interesting things she is going to teach that day.”
In addition, one student writes, “She is an intelligent professor and brilliant lecturer managing to do the impossible, sparking an interest in the material, keeping every student’s attention, all the while making sure the material is understood. Chandra always goes above and beyond and has made a real impact on me in her role as a professor, as a group leader, and as an advisor. She is truly one of a kind.”
Finally, the chair of her department also makes note of Chandra’s exceptional dedication to teaching, stating that “Recently, Chandra has designed and implemented two new classes that she has taught over and above her required teaching load. Such volunteer effort is rare in most departments and is evidence of Chandra’s dedication to her students.”
Prof. Bhaskar Sarkar has been a member of the faculty in the Department of Film & Media Studies since 1999. He also holds an affiliated appointment in Art History.
One undergraduate student comments, “He always had the enthusiasm to see me push myself harder, to go beyond average and strive for what I didn’t know I was capable of. I came out of the experience with confidence knowing how to challenge myself to create better work. Of all my experiences at UCSB, this is what has prepared me the most for a pursuit of graduate education.”
Another student writes simply, “He has been my most inspiring professor during my years at the University of California, Santa Barbara.”
One student writes of being impressed by Dr. Sarkar’s “ability to make a large group of students in a lecture hall join in a cohesive and thought-provoking conversation amongst themselves and with him. I have seen him bring lecture halls usually filled with snoring students to life with his ability to connect to them.”
One graduate student describes him as “a brilliant scholar, and an immensely supportive and enthusiastic mentor.” And another graduate student who has worked with Dr. Sarkar since 2005 writes, “Throughout the years, I have been greatly impressed and inspired by the vast scope of his scholarly knowledge,… his tireless passion for engaging in critical thought, his acuity of mind, and his dedication as a mentor.”
Professor Barbara Tomlinson has been a member of the faculty in the Department of Feminist Studies (formerly known as Women’s Studies) since 2005, after serving for 25 years on the faculty of the Department of Literature at UC San Diego. “BT”, as she is referred to by her students and colleagues alike, receives much praise for her teaching of graduate as well as undergraduate students. One colleague extols her skill in developing “fully realized and creative syllabi at all levels of instruction” and describes both her undergraduate and graduate level classes as “beautifully crafted.”
Professor Tomlinson also receives a great deal of praise for incorporating her background in teaching and research in literature to “devise a unique pedagogy and curriculum for Feminist Studies” at UCSB. Her writing intensive courses are noted for their ability not only to expose students to “advanced methods and advanced currents of research” but also to address “the need to train students to be careful readers and competent writers,” and to help students develop “the skills they need to become critical thinkers, lifelong learners, and successful interlocutors in written and oral contexts.”
Again and again, she is described by such phrases as “demanding but encouraging.” An undergraduate senior who has taken three of Professor Tomlinson’s classes offers the following assessment: “Never have I worked so hard, learned so much, and relished the learning than I did while in her classes. I’ve been a professional writer for thirty years, and Dr. Tomlinson taught me more about writing than anyone else has ever done.” Furthermore, her chair describes her ESCI scores as “nearly perfect – despite offering challenging material and demanding considerable effort.”
Dr. Laura Jansma has been a continuing lecturer with the Department of Communication since 1996. Dr. Jansma annually teaches 400-500 undergraduate students in both upper and lower division classes, including a theory class that enrolls 225 students and in which she supervises several teaching assistants.
She is noted by her nominator for her “excellence in instructing multiple levels of lower and upper division instruction, her innovative teaching efforts, and her accessibility and support of undergraduate students.”
One student notes that what “sets Professor Jansma apart from other instructors is her ability to teach abstract, academic concepts as they relate to real-world situations, so that students can gain better understanding.” Many of her student letters of support praise her ability to connect “academic theory to personal, emotional situations…”
Another student who has taken several of Dr. Jansma’s classes writes that it “is a great honor” to write a letter of recommendation and that “[s]he has been the most influential communication professor in my undergraduate career.” And the student continues by stating, “For the last four years she has been there for me not just as a professor but also as a mentor.”
